Continuing Fire Engineering‘s run of post-FDIC International 2017 coverage, Associate Editor Derek Rosenfeld looks back at his visit to Honeywell and RAE Systems as they teamed up to deliver high-quality, high-value firefighting gear and protection on full display on the floor of the Indianapolis Convention Center.
Life Guard Hood
Honeywell, the leading supplier of protective gear for firefighters and other emergency responders, has developed a new hood to better protect firefighters from the long-term health threats of hazardous substances produced when today’s building materials burn.
Honeywell’s new Life Guard Hood features an innovative design and fabrics that provide better blocking protection against hazardous particulates and toxins compared to traditional firefighter hoods. It also features a lighter, roomier fit that integrates with a firefighter’s self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and other turnout gear.
Here, Honeywell Industrial Safety Public Relations Manager Don Galman gives us a quick look at the company’s new Life Guard Hood:
The hood was developed by Honeywell First Responder, whose products, ranging from helmets to boots respiratory gear, is used by 80 percent of the top municipal fire departments in North America.
“Fighting fires is dangerous enough, but the added risk posed by hazardous substances in smoke means we need to do more to protect the men and women who put their lives on the line every day,” said Ken Schmidt, vice president and general manager of Honeywell First Responder, which provides head-to-toe protective gear for fire fighters and first responders. “Today the most permeable piece of gear firefighters wear is their hood. We worked with fire chiefs and firefighters to develop our new Life Guard Hood, which blocks the particulates and toxins firefighters encounter in both air and water to help safeguard their long-term health.”
There were more than 500,000 structural fires in the United States in 2015, and new building materials make those fires even more dangerous to firefighters’ long-term health. Modern synthetic products can release hazardous particulates, lethal gases and toxins when burned, and studies show that the skin and glands of the neck and face are especially prone to absorbing toxins. In addition, studies show that several types of cancer are occurring at higher rates among firefighters than the general population, according to the Firefighters Cancer Support Network, which provides education and support to first responders.
“When training first responders around the country, we receive many questions about how firefighters can protect themselves better from the toxins that are present in fire smoke,” said Jason Krusen, president of the Fire Smoke Coalition, which provides training to firefighters and first responders on the long-term health consequences of fire smoke. “Hoods such as Life Guard go a long way towards protecting responders better from airborne toxicants and particulates, and reducing the long-term health risks.”
The particulate-blocking protection of the Honeywell Life Guard Hood is laboratory-proven and it’s certified by the National Fire Protection Association.
For more information about the Honeywell Life Guard Hood, visit: https://www.honeywellfirstresponder.com/en/products/hoods/life-guard-hood.
TITAN™ SCBA with Improved Alarm
Honeywell’s flagship Honeywell TITAN™ firefighter breathing equipment has been improved with a louder alarm to make it easier to find disabled firefighters.
Here, Honeywell Business Development Manager Steve Bowman demonstrates the latest modifications to their popular self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA):
As part of their standard turnout gear, firefighters wear an air cylinder with a respirator and face mask known as SCBA. This equipment includes an alarm system that sounds when a firefighter goes down or is motionless to alert others they need help. Honeywell’s enhanced alarm now sounds at a higher frequency and volume to be heard over background noise at the scene of a fire and from a longer distance. The alarm meets new requirements from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
“An SCBA is a critical part of firefighter’s safety gear on the fire ground, and the improved alarm will do a better job of sounding an alert if they become incapacitated or motionless,” said Lynn Feiner, product marketing manager for Honeywell First Responder products. “Honeywell is committed to investing in new solutions, including connected technologies, that advance safety so firefighters can focus their energy on attacking the fire knowing their equipment has the most advanced technology.”
Honeywell TITAN is the only SCBA to offer dual-motion sensors — one on the firefighter’s front alarm system and a second on the firefighter’s back alarm system. This dual-sensing feature helps eliminate false alarms because it is better able than a single motion sensor to detect even subtle motions of a firefighter.
All new Honeywell TITAN SCBAs shipped after December 21, 2016, include the improved alarm system. Fire departments seeking to upgrade their 2007 and 2013 edition TITAN equipment to the newer standard should contact their Honeywell-authorized service center or a Honeywell trained technician for more information.
Learn more at https://www.honeywellfirstresponder.com/en/products/respiratory-protection/self-contained-breathing-apparatus/titan-scba.
AreaRAE Pro
In addition to the myriad of products it showcased at FDIC International, Honeywell also demonstrated the next-generation wireless, transportable, GPS-enabled, multi-threat monitor AreaRAE Pro from Honeywell RAE Systems. AreaRAE Pro collects information on meteoreological conditions and simultaneously detects a broad range of threats including toxic and combustible gases, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and radiation. While monitoring for hazardous conditions, AreaRAE Pro uses state of the art wireless technology to communicate threats in real time up to two miles to a host receiver, where critical information is conveyed via remote software so that connected responders and decision makers across the enterprise have increased situational awareness to make faster, more informed decisions.
Here, RAE Systems North Central Regional Manager Jim Elliott gives us a quick look at the AreaRAE Pro.
“The legacy AreaRAE notably served the hazmat and emergency response community for almost 15 years as a multi-threat detector, but now the platform has been redesigned and upgraded through Honeywell technology and its considerable engineering resources,” said Thomas Negre, senior marketing director, Portable Solutions, Honeywell Analytics. “The result is more information being gathered by a single device and making that information easily accessible to local and remote decision makers. For first responders, understanding what the threats are, where they are and how they are moving is critical to determine an appropriate response plan. AreaRAE Pro’s detection capabilities give incident commanders more critical information, so that they can keep their teams and the community safe.”
With its versatile configuration options, AreaRAE Pro accommodates up to seven sensors that can be easily switched out as needs change. Users can select from over 20 sensors for toxic and combustible gases, a photoionization detector (PID) for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at parts per billion levels, a gamma ray sensor for radiation, and a meteorological sensor to monitor factors affecting the dispersion and direction of gas plumes, such as wind speed and direction. Meteorological data can be used to develop a visual plume model on a computer loaded with Honeywell’s real-time monitoring software, which aids in predicting the spread of a gas leak and planning of additional safety measures.
In addition, AreaRAE Pro includes an embedded GPS location identification, which provides critical information on where a unit is deployed, enabling responders to react to an incident with increased situational awareness.
Honeywell has re-engineered the wireless technology to provide untethered flexibility with choice of wireless protocols including GPS, mesh wireless, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth® (BTLA). AreaRAE Pro also has a built-in mesh modem that facilitates the short-range transmission (up to 100 meters) of readings to a central monitor, while serving as a host for up to eight other portable Honeywell detectors.
An optional Rapid Deployment Kit enables incident responders to configure and activate a wireless area monitoring system in minutes. Flexible power options are available for both short and long-term deployments, including switchable battery packs and AC power.
AreaRAE Pro builds on the AreaRAE’s legacy of excellence in the incident response community by providing responders with more information than ever to help them identify hot zones, set perimeters, and make other informed emergency decisions both onsite or remotely using AreaRAE Pro’s wireless technology.
“With today’s heightened emphasis on critical infrastructure protection and public venue security, we feel it’s critical that first responders and HAZmat teams be aided by the most advanced multi-threat monitoring tool available, one that gives them the information they need so they can appropriately respond to a threat and protect the public safety,” said Negre.
For more information about the AreaRAE Pro next-generation wireless, transportable gas monitor for incident response, visit http://www.raesystems.com/products/arearae-pro.
About Honeywell
Honeywell First Responder is part of Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions Group’s Industrial Safety business, which provides comprehensive solutions to help organizations manage workplace safety, including personal protection gear for a worker’s eyes, ears, hands and heads, respiratory protection, software and toxic gas monitors.
Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom .
Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions (SPS) provides products, software and connected solutions that improve productivity, workplace safety and asset performance for our customers across the globe. We deliver on this promise through industry-leading mobile devices, software, cloud technology and automation solutions, the broadest range of personal protective equipment and gas detection technology, and custom-engineered sensors, switches and controls. We also manufacture and sell a broad portfolio of footwear for work, play and outdoor activities, including XtraTuf™ and Muck Boot™ brand footwear.
